Monday, June 13, 2005

Stendhal intendedLe Rouge et le Noirto be a book foryounger readers. Some-thing of a parable, a memoirabout his two pet squirrels. A red he hadnamed Hudson after its Latin classification Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ; & Caroline, the black,Sciurus carolinensis . As helead them on leashesthrough the Bois deBoulogne on their morningwalks together he wouldwrite down what he imaginedthe conversations mightbe about as the squirrelsexplored their cultural differences, the European & the American, an anticipation of Henry James.In the early evening hewould transcribe his journal, shaping it into the makings of a pleasant manuscript. Everythingwent well until the daythey were attacked by arabid dog that scentedbreakfast. The squirrelsgot away from Stendhal. So too, when he eventually came back to it, did the book.